Below is almost everything that was said during the testing session (some intermittent commentary was omitted).

Jason Day: So much stuff going on right now. My goodness. Is that where we’re set up with TrackMan, is that good?

Tomo Bystedt: We’re setup like down the center.

JD: Where we aiming?

Tomo: The far pin like way down there.

JD: Straight down the gutter. Ok ok. Alright so I’ve got 9 iron everyone. How you doin. This is Tomo. We’re gonna be testing some irons today. And I’ll let you take it from here buddy, cuz I have no idea what we’re testing. This is something new for us. Alright, what we’re doing, we’re doing TaylorMade shoots over the last day. And we’re doing it tomorrow, but we’re testing irons today. The new iron is gonna come out pretty soon here right?

Tomo: Well Jason, so we got here today is the brand new P-760s. Take a look at that.

JD: If you can see that. 760s. It’s a 9-iron obviously. Forged. Tell me a little about this.

Tomo: I’ll put one in front of the camera here. This is our brand new forged Tour iron. It’s got a couple cool new things going on here. This is a more transitional more progressive set than our 750s that you play. Meaning that the short irons are gonna be very 750 like, like really through the 8 iron, and as we get into the 7, they’re gonna go into this two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it.

JD: That’s what I was thinking. I thought they had Speed Foam in it. So, what’s the advantages, what can you do to get me out of my 750s into the 760s.

Tomo: Great question. So what we’re gonna do is get you more playability in your long irons so they’re gonna go a little higher.

JD: We’re gonna test it. We’re doing it live.

Tomo: But what we don’t want to do is give up any feel or control that you currently have with your 750s. So a more playability and more distance. Especially as you get into the 3 and 4 irons, you’re going to get more COR in these heads where you’re probably going to see 5-7 yards more distance. So not massive difference, not a 790 type distance.

JD: You said 5-7? I’m gonna hold you to that. So I’ve currently got a 9-iron, my 9-iron from my current set is a 750. So tell me how far this is carrying.

JD: So if I’m hitting summertime like right now, I usually hit it about 160. I caught it a bit heavy.

About 158 carry.

JD: A good Tuesday swing. I’m not amped. Trying to get through the day. Bloody TaylorMade has been chasing me all over the shop. So I’ve got the new 760s.

Shot. 760 9-iron.

JD: It felt solid. Nice little baby draw, which is good.

Tomo: So give me your first comments… feel, look?

JD: It felt stable. The feel of it I know… How do I explain this? It felt soft but firm. How do you get that?

Tomo: You might notice if you take a look at the sole grind, it’s a little different leading edge than what you have currently in your 750s. See that leading edge? See how there’s a little bevel there? Trying to get that camber.

JD: How far’d that go?

Shot 156.

JD: Well, this is the thing. The short iron won’t change too much.

Tomo: It’s not gonna change distance wise, we’re trying to make it more playable, make it a little bit more forgiving. But basically the same look and feel and distance that you have today.

JD: So what we’re trying to accomplish here is making sure that the clubs perform better, so that I change into them. If they don’t perform better, I won’t change into them.

Tomo: Correct, exactly, that’s the goal.

JD: And this is what makes it competitive for these guys. The guy Tomo standing behind the camera, why he gets up every morning, is to try and make a product that’s better for not only me but for you guys as well. But, talking about it, it felt nice and stable. It was a softer feel. It felt good through the turf. It wasn’t digging even though you do have a bit of a change here. It feels pretty dang good right now. I’m gonna hit another shot with it. The actual height of it was pretty nice. Was there any difference?

Launch was extremely comparable… Next shot.

JD: That was flush. That was good. Just a good solid shot.

Tomo: Excellent. Alright, let’s move onto the 7 iron. In the 7 iron you should see a little bit more of a difference, you’re probably gonna pick up a couple yards. You can take a look at the shape, if you put it down as well next to the golf ball. They’re gonna be similar, a little straighter leading edge in the 760s.

JD: The topline right now… is a little thicker.

Tomo: Just a little. Just a shade.

JD: Just a little bit thicker than my current 750s. But obviously you have to make them a little bit thicker because you drop the speed foam in there.

Tomo: Also, we want to start introducing a little bit more playability…

JD: So for you, what do you mean by playability?

Tomo: On that little mishit, a couple millimeters on the toe or the heel, it’s going to come out a little better, a little more consistent.

JD: And that’s what you want, as a guy that builds irons at TaylorMade?

Tomo: We’re not talking maximum forgiveness compared to a game-improvement club, just a shade more than we have your 750s.

JD: I’m gonna hit it ok, but how do you sell it to the people who are watching this?

Tomo: Well this is for a better player. This is not for a 20 handicap, or even a 10 handicap. This is for your scratch-ish. 0-5s. Single digits.

Shot.

Tomo: Alright, that was a nice ball flight. Hard to see obviously on Instagram here.

JD: Well there’s a wind sock over there it’s coming down off the right. That’s why it has a little bit of a draw.

Tomo: Alright, quick comment on the feel, sound.

JD: Felt good, sound was nice. Felt pretty dang stable. It’s kinda hard to tell cuz I haven’t hit a 7 iron yet. I have to test it up against that (750s). What was the distance on that?

Shot 183 yards.

Tomo: Which I think should be kinda in your wheelhouse, maybe a couple yards longer. But not dramatic on the 7. It’s gonna build up as you get into the 3, 4, 5 irons.

JD: Well if it builds up that’s a good thing. I don’t want it to go crazy long.

Tomo: And that’s the goal with these irons. These are not 790s, they’re not gonna be super hot. They’re gonna just give you a little bit more playability again in that 7 and up, as they get into the longer irons.

JD: The actual weight and feel of it is pretty good.

Shot.

JD: I think they’re coming out higher.

Tomo: Yea, that’s exactly right. They’re gonna come out a little bit higher, but spin should be very comparable… Gimmie one more and then let’s hit some 5 irons.

Shot.

JD: What we can do is talk about the iron a little bit more compared to my 750s. Like I said the actual weight of it itself is… pretty good in regards to that.

Tomo: Let’s get the 5 iron, I wanna get a few 5 irons. Let’s take a look, let’s see if I can get a good address view from the two clubs (5 irons). Pretty similar

JD: Yea very similar. So you can see the topline is a shade thicker (760)… This is probably a little bit less offset (750). But overall the shape is pretty good. Not a huge difference. And obviously we have the speed foam here. So let’s see how this one goes. It’s hot here in Florida… we’re on the eastside so we’ve missed the hurricane which is good.

Shot with 5 iron.

Tomo: That was pure.

JD: Yea, so my concern with what you guys did on the leading edge here. I thought when you look at something like that it has the potential to bounce a little bit too much, or even dig, depending on how sharp it is. But looking down at it, it looks good. Going through the turf, feels good, it doesn’t bounce too much. Which is great…If you’re looking at that, right here, it’s not hitting the ground and bouncing up, which is a good sign.

Tomo: Again, it’s supposed to glide through the turf better.

JD: Yea, I mean, it feels pretty solid. I’m pleased with it. I’ve gotta do more testing with it to really…

Tomo: Put it through its paces, right? That’s what we’ve always done Jason, in the past. Every set. Back n the RSi TP’s we did that, PSi’s, when we got into the 750s. It’s a good process.

Shot.

JD: So that was a mishit. But, I’m not gonna sell you guys on it. I want, I want to give you a real version of what I feel like. I’m gonna do extensive testing on it before I actually change into an iron. I might not even change into this iron. I might change into another iron that TaylorMade releases. But… from what I feel, and what I get, it’s feeling pretty good.

Tomo: Excellent. That’s good, it’s a good start. You know we haven’t always been there right, Jason? Some years we don’t quite get it right, but…

JD: No, there’s some years that I’ve gone through a couple seasons where I haven’t even changed irons.

Tomo: Exactly.

JD: But right now they feel pretty dang good. And it’s really hard right now to be able to play a cut and a draw because it’s practically down wind, so it’s gonna be very very straight.

Tomo: So I think we’re gonna wrap it up there. Maybe we can get one long iron shot from you?

JD: So are there any questions from the people?

Tomo: Someone’s asking how much you bench.

JD: How much do you bench? No I don’t bench that much, cuz my chest, I’m trying to get my chest a little bit smaller.

Tomo: Someone asked you why don’t you play the Ryder Cup, there’s a pretty simple answer.

JD: That’s a very simple question, because I’m not from Europe and I’m not from America (laughs).

Tomo: So Jason, any kind of last comments, words to your fans on Instagram?

JD: Not really. I mean this is kind of the process that we go through when we’re trying new things. Like I said earlier… we’re here in Florida and we’re testing new gear for next season. We’ve got new gear, exciting gear coming out, more equipment. And we got, obviously the 760s that we just unveiled in front of your eyes. We go through and do all the photoshoots and commercials and do all this stuff for the next two days. And we test stuff. And we got some exciting things. And it’ll take me a while. It always takes me the winter time or a month or so to try and find an iron that finally fits, or a driver that finally fits as well. So I currently have a 3 iron right now. And it feels a little bit heavier than my current 3 iron.

Tomo: A couple questions that came thru… How far do you normally hit your 3 iron?

JD: So my 3 iron right now, on a normal day right now, about 85 degrees, it goes about 250 yards… I use it more as a driving iron. I do use it for sectional par 5s (into par 5s). But my 3 iron does go about 250… I’ve got TaylorMade 750s all the way through from 3 iron to pitching wedge, and I’m currently testing out the 760s, with speed foam, injected speed foam.

JD: Appreciate you guys for stopping by. I know it was really quick. I’d love to talk about it more, and I’d really love show you what it’s like to go into actually testing new equipment and trying to change over a set of irons or a wood. I appreciate you guys for stopping by and hopefully see you guys down the road some time. Cheers.

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WRX Spotlight Review: TaylorMade M5 fairway Rocket 3

Pitch: The TaylorMade M5 fairway Rocket 3 is a stronger-lofted version of the standard TaylorMade M5 3-wood. The Rocket is 14 degrees. The standard M5 is 15.

Our take on the TaylorMade M5 Rocket 3

“WOW, you really hit that 3-wood like a rocket!”

” Not like a rocket… an actual Rocket!”

The beloved 3-wood. A favorite club of both average golfers and pros alike, a club that many will hold onto well after what some might consider their “best before” date. But with new options and improved technology, these old faithfuls are getting the boot quicker for a lot of reasons including the ability to better dial in a fit and help minimizing misses.

Since making a club faster off the middle is becoming more and more difficult thanks to the limits set forth but the USGA, OEMs are changing the way we think about clubs and putting a greater focus on decreasing dispersion and optimizing misses. TaylorMade is doing this with TwistFace, which was originally introduced in drivers a generation ago, and has now been included in the M5 and M6 fairway woods.

I got to spend some time with the knowledgeable crew at TaylorMade Canada in their new indoor facility just north of Toronto (lets call it Kingdom North) In that time, we went through a driver fitting, and then to the new M5 fairway woods to try and replace one of my oldest faithfuls: a 14-degree SLDR Tour Spoon. To say I have a unique ability to elevate a fairway wood is something that even my fitter was a little surprised by. My numbers with my cranked down to 12 degree (measured) fairway off the deck were good but could be improved. I can hit it both ways (as much as a 6-handicap can actually claim that) but my trusted go-to shot is a slight fade with some heel bias contact because of my swing. I am willing to sacrifice some distance but usually hit it where I want.

What I saw at the end of the fitting was a club that produced longer shots along with a tighter dispersion without having to make or to try and make any changes to my swing. The final fit was a 14-degree “Rocket” M5 fairway set to 12 degrees. It beat out my SLDR by a total of nine yards, which is an increase of just over a total of three percent, including an additional six yards of carry.

To say I was honestly surprised would be an understatement. The SLDR TS is a club that the first time I hit it I went WHOA! Low spin, workable, looks exactly how I want that club to look (small and compact). You can see from the numbers below when it works it works.

Why does TwistFace work?

Let’s explain and get a little deep in the technology weeds for a second. Bulge and roll is not a new concept. In fact, it would be a lie to claim that all OEMs haven’t done something similar to this is the past or played with these two variables to help golfers hit better shots. Fact: Every OEM optimizes the bulge and roll on their clubs to increase speed and maximize performance. Tom Wishon actually had a line of woods at one point that went the other way had VERY limited roll from the top tine to the sole. With this design, more loft on the bottom of the head helped players who miss low or need help elevating the ball off the deck increase launch and spin. It worked. Cobra also has what it calls E9 technology to tweak bulge and roll to help maximize the speed and forgiveness of their woods. It also works.

What makes TaylorMade’s TwistFace different is that it is the most aggressive iteration of this bulge and roll tweaking yet, and by introducing it into the fairway woods and hybrids, it’s proving to be a winner — even for this now-proven wrong skeptic.

At the end of the day, the M5 Ti “Rocket” was a measurable improvement over my previous 3-wood. Now it would be disingenuous to say “if you aren’t using TwistFace in your fairway woods you’re not maximized,” but if you are someone that struggles with fairway wood dispersion and looking to find some extra distance for taking on par-5s, taking a look at the new M5 and M6 fairway woods as part of your next fitting should be very high on your list.

Forum Thread of the Day: “Low handicapper switching to game improvement irons”

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from jasonTel3 – a low handicap player who plays blades but who has had his head turned by game improvement irons. According to jasonTel3, every ball was hit straight when testing out a set of Ping G400’s at a simulator, and he’s been asking fellow members for advice on whether he should make the move to GI’s.

Here are a few posts from the thread discussing jasonTel3’s conundrum, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

balls_deep: “My first thought is to say don’t do it.. but then if you’ve hit them, liked them, and the numbers were right, it could be a good option. A friend I play with uses G400 and they have too much offset for my liking. I also don’t like that you can see the cavity on the 4 and 5 iron. Top line is actually very nice for a SGI iron. I just read the Ping Blueprint article on Golf Digest where they were talking about how some players hit small heads better. I definitely fall into that category. That said, I just ordered a set of i210 to try as I had really good luck with the i200 and should never have sold them. Have you tried the newer I series? IMO it’s GI help in a players look with an acceptable sole width. Long story short though – if you felt comfortable and the fit was right, why not try them? If you don’t work the ball a ton, I don’t see any issue with it. High and straight is a good way to go!”

hammergolf: “I’ve been playing Ping G25’s for 6 years. Still can’t find anything I like better. I can hit any shot I need to whether it’s my stock draw, fade, high, or low. And when I hit it a little thin, or on the toe, it still lands on the green. My thought is why play golf with a club that will punish you for mishit when you can play one that will help you.”

azone: “Everyone has an opinion, and here is mine. If you are/have been a good ball striker with a sound mental game, your mind will keep writing checks your body may not be able to cash as you get older or don’t practice enough. Those “ugly” forgiving irons look beautiful when a miss ends up on the green, and you are putting– not in rough or deep in a short side bunker. Those irons won’t be AS ACCURATE as, say, a blade, BUT if you aren’t as dependable as in the past, your results will be better. I used to keep two sets of blueprinted irons; blades for practice and CB for play. I play with guys that have cashed checks playing…and they don’t care how ugly the iron is.”

Jut: “As a decent player (and ball striker) and a sweeper/picker (I could hit off of a green and not take any landscape with me), I’ve found much success with the F9s (which, with the wide sole, are very similar to the G410 irons). In the past 4 years I’ve gone from Mizuno MP-68 to Callaway Apex CF16 to Ping i500 (a brief and bad experience) to the Cobra F9’s. For what it’s worth, the Cobras have been the best of the bunch by far.”

WRX Spotlight: Stitch headcovers

Pitch: From Stitch: “Your game should match your style. At Stitch, we aim to merchandise our line of products so you can easily put together items that not only match your bag and what is it in it, but also match your style and personality. We want to make it easy for you to have a unique and color-coordinated golf bag. We have designed unique products that have defined color schemes so that choosing which items to put in your bag becomes easier. We aim to provide you with various looks, mixing and matching our head covers to give you confidence that the purchase you make for your bag will take you to the course in style. Let us help you dress your game.”

Our Take On Stitch Headcovers

Stitch is a relatively new company – founded in 2012. The company initially only created premium headcovers but has grown into so much more, with all sorts of golfing accessories now on offer on their site StitchGolf.com. Their bags, in particular, are now some of the most popular amongst golfers, with the quality and uniqueness provided leading multiple Tour players to sport them in tournament play.

That sign of quality in the bags bodes well for what the company was founded on – their headcovers. Stitch provides both leather and knit headcovers in a variety of designs that do as good a job as any in covering the needs of all golfers.

Stitch describes the companies Monte Carlo headcover as being their “classic, timeless design”, and for those looking for that vintage style to add to their set up then they can’t go wrong with this headcover. A mainstay in the likes of multiple tour winner Paul Casey’s bag, the Monte Carlo headcover, as with all of the companies leather covers, is hand-crafted from 100% leather and is both water and stain resistant. The cover comes in four color codes: Black, White, Navy and Red, and at $68 is the most affordable of all their leather headcovers.

Other options in the leather department range from their intricately designed Camo cover which comes in a multiple color design, as well as Stitch’s tribute to “The King”, through their Arnold Palmer headcover.

The AP cover comes in a minimalist black with white stripes for a classic feel, but it also comes in a white color code decorated with red, white and yellow stripes which, for myself at least, looks even more alluring. Part of an exclusive collection, the only issue with the AP cover is that only those located in the U.S. are currently eligible to get their hands on one. But for those in the states, the company is now offering a set of three AP leather covers for $128 instead of $298 should you use the code APLEATHERS on their site.

From their Tour Racer, USA, Shamrock and Bonesman editions, Stitch provides a great choice when it comes to their leather covers, and as previously mentioned, all are hand-crafted from 100% leather, water and stain resistant and will assure an excellent fit on your clubs.

Stitch also provides knit headcovers which contain not only excellent designs but also the same quality which has gone into their leather covers. All of the companies knit covers are made from Techno Wool, which is 100% acrylic and designed in order for your clubs to stay entirely dry. Another feature of the knit covers from Stitch is their smart fit design which ensures all of the covers retain their shape over a long period, as well as providing for a cover that will reliably stay on your club.

The knit covers from Stitch cost $68 ($72 for the limited AP cover), and there are currently seven different designs available to choose from over at StitchGolf.com. The leather covers are, unsurprisingly, a little pricier, but still very affordable, ranging from $68-$98. The covers deliver in both style and performance, and for a relatively new company, it speaks volumes that the likes of Jim Furyk, Paul Casey, Bryson DeChambeau and many more tour pros are now sporting the company’s creations.